1. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with an increased risk of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) after TIPS.
2. Increasing PPI dose was associated with an increased risk of HE after TIPS, strengthening the case for causality.
3. Discontinuing PPIs may be a simple intervention to treat HE after TIPS.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, as it provides evidence from a single-institutional retrospective study that analyzed 86 patients over a two-year period. The authors used Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations to examine the association between PPI use and HE after TIPS, as well as recurrent event survival analysis to support their findings. The article also provides clear explanations of the methods used and results obtained, which adds to its credibility.
However, there are some potential biases in the article that should be noted. For example, the study only included 86 patients over a two-year period, which may not be representative of the general population or other populations with different characteristics. Additionally, the study did not explore any potential counterarguments or alternative explanations for the observed results, which could have provided further insight into the findings. Furthermore, while the authors note that increasing PPI dose was associated with an increased risk of HE after TIPS, they do not provide any evidence to support this claim or discuss any possible risks associated with high doses of PPIs.
In conclusion, while this article is generally reliable and trustworthy due to its clear explanation of methods and results obtained from a single-institutional retrospective study, there are some potential biases that should be noted when interpreting its findings.